Fallout, the upcoming TV adaptation of the hit Bethesda franchise, is set for release on April 12, 2024 on Amazon Prime.
The franchise is set in the aftermath of a global nuclear apocalypse, with survivors fighting for survival against hostile mutations and factions battling for control of the wasteland. A core facet of the franchise are vaults – Doomsday bunkers which were used to perform a variety of social and scientific experiments on their inhabitants. From its origins on PC the franchise has grown to encompass console, mobile, and board games.
Fallout the TV series will be set in Los Angeles and focus on Vault 33. What experiment its inhabitants took part in is currently unknown, but the vault is set to appear in a future update of Fallout 76, the franchise’s first multiplayer entry. The series was first announced in 2020 and includes a cast including the likes of Walton Goggins, Michael Emerson, and Yellowjackets star Ella Purnell.
A bright future for adaptations
While adaptations of games is nothing new, recent years have seen games being taken more seriously by filmmakers, with high profile adaptations of the likes of The Last of Us and Detective Pikachu proving to be massive hits with fans and critics alike. What makes Fallout stand out, of course, is the fact that a mobile entry in the franchise exists. The majority of mobile adaptations have been based on more family-friendly franchises such as Angry Birds or Candy Crush. Additionally, many game franchises have branched onto mobile only after finding success with film or television.
The adaptation also stands out for another reason – namely the fact that original developer Bethesda is one of the production companies behind the series. This move sees it – and parent company Microsoft – follow in the footsteps of chief rival Sony by opening up new revenue streams – and with mobile gaming becoming more and more prominent worldwide, this is a promising sign that we’ll see more and more films and series based, at least in part, on mobile titles in the future.
Earlier this month, Microsoft – owners of Bethesda through its acquisition of parent company ZeniMax Media – closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
